Garment pressing machine



July 23, 1935. s. w. FORD GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Filed Nov. 14, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheei 1 July 23, 1935. s. w. FORD 2,008,905

GARMENT PRES SING MACHINE Filed Nov. 14, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to garment pressing machines and more particularly to that class of machines embodying relatively movable bucks or pressing members, the upper member or press head comprising an electrically heated plate forming an ironing surface while the lower member is provided with a padded surface.

The main object of my invention is to greatly simplify and improve machines of this type, increase its efiiciency and enable it to be operated more rapidly and with less effort; and more specifically to provide more eflicient mechanism for producing the relative movement between the pressing members; to provide means whereby the padding or padded surfaces can be maintained in drier condition; to so arrange the parts that a clear vision between the upper and lower pressing members may be obtained from an ordinary sitting position; to provide a construction by which it is possible to secure a combined ironing and pressing effect, by causing a relative sliding movement of the upper press head upon the lower member or buck after they are brought into engagement, thus improving the finish on many classes of work. My invention is also characterized by certain other detail features which contribute in one way or another to the general efficiency of the apparatus and the readiness with which the garments can be handled. To these and other ends the invention consists of certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my combined electric ironer and presser, the plate of the lower member or buck being partly in section to show the ventilating holes therein;

Figure 2 is a detail view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

project forwardly, being parallel through the portion and then bent or divergent laterally, the left leg I extending about three inches farther from the centre of the machine than the right leg to accommodate the left leg of the operator 5 when the right foot engages the foot lever. The rear leg 3 is shorter than the front legs to produce a rearward tilt or inclination of the lower press member orbuck.

A pair of drop leaves 5, 5 are hinged to brackets or angle irons 6 attached to the front legs and extend horizontally upon either side of the machine in a position to support the goods that are being pressed. When not in use these table leaves may be lowered to the sides of the machine by disengaging the brace rods I.

The lower pressing member or buck I 0 is provided with integral lugs 8 which are bolted or riveted to the upper ends of the front legs. The upper end of the rear leg is preferably forked and forms a yoke that it may be fastened to the buck symmetrically upon opposite sides of the foot lever, thereby constituting a rigid balanced support to receive the thrust of the levermechanism during the pressing operation.

The upper pressing member or press head I2 is pivotally attached to the free end of a curved swinging arm M of the plate lever which is pivoted at l5 to lugs l6 depending from the plate of the buck l0, the lever being provided with a short I arm I l projecting rearwardly and downwardly from the pivot. An important feature of my invention resides in a provision of means which permits the upper member l2 to first engage the garment or goods supported by the lower member I0 and then slide forwardly while maintaining a downward pressure upon garment, thereby producing a combined ironing and pressing effect upon the garment or goods. For this purpose the forward outer end M of the pressing arm is separate and is hinged to the end of the portion I4 by a toggle joint which may be constructed as indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The portion I4 may swing upwardly on the end of portion I4 but is held from downward movement by the protruding lip H which fits into a notch on the other part. While the weight of the upper press head I2 is ordinarily sufficient to exert the desired pressure and ironing effect, this pressure may be increased in varying degrees by means of a coiled spring l8 carried by a bolt 19, which bears upon a washer 20 extending across the top of the toggle joint. The upper press head is pivoted to the short extension M The press head [2 is heated by an electric heating element 22 which is embedded therein in any suitable manner, as shown, for instance, in my prior Patent No. 1,983,974. The heating element may be connected to an electrical source by means of a socket 23 carried by the head and receiving a plug 24 connected to the end of the electric conductor cord 25. In order to permit the escape of moisture and vapor from the pad 25, when the hot press head I2 is brought down into pressing engagement, I provide the plate of the lower buck ID with a plurality of holes indicated at 21.

The pressure to operate the machine is exerted by the foot of the operator upon the lower end of a long foot lever formed of two metal strips riveted together at the center and separated at either end to form yokes. The lower yoke is connected by a cross member 3| to form a stirrup for the foot of the operator. The upper yoke is pivotally secured by a bolt to integral ears or lugs 32 depending from the lower press member and disposed at equal distances from the lateral sides of said member.

The lower mechanism by which the operator exerts a strong leg thrust through the lever arms I4 and M to the upper member or press head I2 is particularly designed to produce a rapid movement of the head downwardly and forwardly and with a short stroke of the foot. For this purpose I first pivot the outer ends of a pair of toggle links 33, 33 respectively to a point adjacent the upper end of the foot lever 30 and to the end of the short lever ll Then in order to prevent the normal unrestrained operation of the toggle links, I pivot the opposite ends of a link 35, respectively to a lug or ear 36 depending from the lower press member I and to an intermediate point 31 on the toggle link 33. The pivot point 31 becomes a swinging fulcrum upon which the toggle link 33 must oscillate. The link 35,thus controls the operation of the toggle 33, 33. Again it may be considered that the links 33 and 35 constitute an auxiliary toggle which regulates and controls the operation of the toggle 33, 33'.

a The operation of the machine will be evident from the above detailed description of the structural parts. When the operator moves the foot lever 30 from the full line position shown in Figure 1 to the broken line position, the toggle links 33, 33' are restrained from a closing movement on the pivot 34 by the fulcrum link 35. As the thrust of the foot lever 30 swings the lever 35 toward a vertical position, the pivot 31 moves the link 33 bodily downward resulting in a relative movement of the interconnected links tending to straighten the toggle 33, 33' which of course, is transmitted to the press lever arms I4 M rocking them on the pivot l5 and forcing the press head I! down upon the garment which has been placed over the lower buck member ID. It will be observed that the thrust imparted to the press lever arms is almost perpendicular to the shorter arm N and hence produces a very strong torque on the short arm N and causes a large move- 'ment of the press head l2 for a very short movement of the foot pedal.

When the press head I! comes down upon the lower buck, the rear edge of the head is flush with the rear edge of the pad 26. As the pressure upon the foot lever is increased, the toggle joint between the lever portions l4 and W yields and as the pressure is continued the press head l2 slides forwardly over the garment on the buck until the front edge of the head'is flush with the front edge of the buck as indicated in Figure 5.

In order that the pad 26 shall not fall away from the side edges of the press head, the plate of the lower member ID is made about an inch wider at either side than the press head as indicated in Figure 4.

When the operator releases the pressure of his foot, the upper member or press head is quickly lifted to the unoperated position shown in Figure 1, by the springs 40.

I have described in detail the particular construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of clearly disclosing an embodiment of my invention but it will be understood by engineers that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of my claims.

I claim:--

l. A garment pressing machine, comprising a stationary lower press member, a movable press member cooperating therewith, a supporting lever having said movable member pivotally secured to the free end thereof, said lever being provided with a rule Joint between the pivot of the lever and the movable press member to permit oscillatory movement of said press member in a plane parallel to the plane of the lower member, and means to move said movable press member, whereby it engages said stationary member and then slides thereover to provide an ironing effect.

2. A garment pressing machine, comprising a stationary lower press member, a movable press member cooperating therewith, a supporting lever having said movable member pivotally secured to the free end thereof, said lever being provided with a rule joint between the pivot 01 the lever and the movable press member to permit oscillatory movement of said press member in a plane parallel to the plane of the lower member, means to move said movable press member, whereby it engages said stationary member and then slides thereover to provide an ironing effect and means for varying the pressure exerted by said movable member during said sliding movement.

3. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a pair of cooperating pressing members, a supporting lever having a lever arm to which one of said members is secured and an operating arm, a depending foot lever pivoted at its upper end to a fixed part of said machine, a pair of toggle links pivotally connected to said operating arm and to an intermediate point on said foot lever, and a link secured at one end to a fixed part of the machine and at the other end to an intermediate point on said toggle, said foot lever and said link being out of parallelism whereby the movement of said toggle links is controlled.

4. In a garment pressing machine the combination of cooperating stationary and movable pressing members, a foot lever pivotally secured to said stationary member at a point equally distant from the lateral sides thereof and oscillatable backward and forward, a lever carrying said movable member and operatively connected to said foot lever, a pair of front supporting legs extending from each lateral side of said stationary member and means for supporting the rear portion of said stationary press member, one of said front legs being disposed laterally of the longitudinal center of the press members to a greater extent than the other leg to provide room for that leg of the operator which is not employed in operating the foot lever.

SHELLEY W. FORD. 

